‘Generational talent’: Jeanty strikes a Heisman pose, sets Boise State records in win

Bursting through a gap that could fit the Big Idaho Potato (probably), Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty saw only daylight and a couple of dark blue jerseys ahead of him on his first carry of the 2024 season.

Those blue jerseys belonged to Georgia Southern defenders. And they were not a problem. The running back simply broke a pair of tackles.

Still 50 yards to the end zone? Also not a problem. Jeanty outpaced the few trailing players and trotted into the end zone to complete a 77-yard run to open the scoring for Boise State on Saturday afternoon.

It was one of many times he’d visit the end zone, and showcase his unusual combination of strength and speed. Jeanty scored six touchdowns and rushed for 267 yards — both school records — to pace a dominant offensive performance that led to a hard-fought 56-45 win over the Eagles at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro.

And what did Jeanty do after that first TD? He hit the Heisman pose — less than five minutes into his 2024 college football season. By the end of the game, he was a household name in the early Heisman Trophy race.

To top it all off? The celebration was planned.

“I just told myself whenever I made a big play, some type of play that proves that I’m that caliber player, you knew I was going to pull that (celebration) out,” Jeanty said after Saturday’s victory.

Jeanty entered the 2024 season with some Heisman talk swirling around him, to the point where Boise State created a website to track his campaign. But it was up to the junior, the returning Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, to make the campaign more than talk.

He did precisely that. Jeanty’s damage came on just 20 carries — for an average of 13.4 yards per attempt. Included in that was a 26-yard TD run in which he darted through an enormous hole off right tackle, broke a couple of tackles downfield, executed a spin move and sprinted back to the left side of the field to outrun everyone.

“This young man is a 10 out of 10 in everything he does,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said of Jeanty. “How he leads this team, how he motivates this team, and how he leads himself on a daily basis. He’s a generational talent-type kid in all facets.”

Jeanty’s performance was no surprise to those who are around him the most — such as his roommate, redshirt junior linebacker Andrew Simpson.

“We talk about it every day, what type of season we want to have and what type of season he wants to have personally,” Simpson said. “And we believe in him. We know he can do great things, and he just showed it.”

Jeanty nearly matched his opening 77-yard touchdown by darting 75 yards for a score on a similar play in the fourth quarter. That run was huge because it allowed Boise State to regain the lead after falling behind 37-36, and the Broncos scored touchdowns on their next two possessions to put the game away.

That 75-yard score was Jeanty’s sixth, allowing him to break a tie and ink his name alone in the BSU record books for most rushing TDs in a single game. His 267 rushing yards broke a 45-year-old school record of 261 yards, set by Cedric Minter in 1978.

His six rushing touchdowns also matched the Mountain West record — tying Stefphon Jefferson Jr. (Nevada, 2012) and Kapri Gibbs (Colorado State, 2013). It was the most rushing touchdowns in an FBS game since Israel Abanikanda had six for Pittsburgh in October 2022.

Jeanty’s performance was so dominant that he could recall only one other time he managed six touchdowns in a game, which was in high school.

“I’ve got to shout out my O-line,” Jeanty said. “They opened up big, wide holes all game. I got the easy part: Make some guys miss and go run to the end zone.”